Just as last year, Israel and Lotto gets all WT races and Uno-X gets all WT one day races.
Israel will likely do all three GTs again, while Lotto again will skip the Giro.
That means the picture is probably something like this when it comes to the GT wild cards:
Giro: Israel + 3 PCTs (Polti, Bardiani, Tudor, Q36.5)
Tour: Lotto, Israel + 2 from Total, Tudor and Uno-X
Vuelta: Lotto and Israel + 2 Spanish PCTs.
It's much more open than last season, and some decent teams will be disappointed.
Tudor has signed Alaphilippe and that alone is probably enough for a Tour wild card. The question is wheter Tudor has enough squad debth to do two GTs and/or how it affect their chances that Tudor sponsors the Giro and is a direct competition for Tissot that sponsors the Tour.
Total won a Tour stage last year and as the only (real one, i dont count Tietma) French PCT they are definitively in a good position for a Tour Wild Card.
Uno-X might be in trouble.. Two years in a row they've rode the Tour, but have failed to win a stage. They are also in a pretty weak position with RCS, so I don't see them as capable of sneaking a Giro invite.
My guess: Total and Uno-X, Tudor does the Giro because of the sponsorship collision.
Q36.5 is a wild card in this whole discussion, but after signing Pidcock they are in a better position. I think they could be a good option for the Giro.
Polti and Bardiani are pretty mediocre teams, but they are italian and they always goes in the TV breakaways that the traditionalists in RCS probably loves. I think both of them are in a good position to be picked for the Giro.
My guess: Tudor, Polti and Bardiani.
Vuelta is "always" two Spanish PCTs. Kern Pharma did amazing last year and should get another chance this year. Euskaltel did 2024, so I'll assume it's either Caja Rural or Burgos this time. Caja Rural looks to be the strongest team in my opinion, even if they have lost Aular and Cepeda.
My guess: Kern Pharma and Caja Rural.
Then there will also be a lot of interesting wild cards to the Monuments and the other big classics. Q36.5 should be very attractive for races that suits Tom Pidcock. The two belgian teams Flanders-Baloise and Wagner Bazin will probably get a lot of WC for the belgian one day races and Total, Tudor, Tietma and Polti also have good to decent teams for many classics.
Israel will likely do all three GTs again, while Lotto again will skip the Giro.
That means the picture is probably something like this when it comes to the GT wild cards:
Giro: Israel + 3 PCTs (Polti, Bardiani, Tudor, Q36.5)
Tour: Lotto, Israel + 2 from Total, Tudor and Uno-X
Vuelta: Lotto and Israel + 2 Spanish PCTs.
It's much more open than last season, and some decent teams will be disappointed.
Tudor has signed Alaphilippe and that alone is probably enough for a Tour wild card. The question is wheter Tudor has enough squad debth to do two GTs and/or how it affect their chances that Tudor sponsors the Giro and is a direct competition for Tissot that sponsors the Tour.
Total won a Tour stage last year and as the only (real one, i dont count Tietma) French PCT they are definitively in a good position for a Tour Wild Card.
Uno-X might be in trouble.. Two years in a row they've rode the Tour, but have failed to win a stage. They are also in a pretty weak position with RCS, so I don't see them as capable of sneaking a Giro invite.
My guess: Total and Uno-X, Tudor does the Giro because of the sponsorship collision.
Q36.5 is a wild card in this whole discussion, but after signing Pidcock they are in a better position. I think they could be a good option for the Giro.
Polti and Bardiani are pretty mediocre teams, but they are italian and they always goes in the TV breakaways that the traditionalists in RCS probably loves. I think both of them are in a good position to be picked for the Giro.
My guess: Tudor, Polti and Bardiani.
Vuelta is "always" two Spanish PCTs. Kern Pharma did amazing last year and should get another chance this year. Euskaltel did 2024, so I'll assume it's either Caja Rural or Burgos this time. Caja Rural looks to be the strongest team in my opinion, even if they have lost Aular and Cepeda.
My guess: Kern Pharma and Caja Rural.
Then there will also be a lot of interesting wild cards to the Monuments and the other big classics. Q36.5 should be very attractive for races that suits Tom Pidcock. The two belgian teams Flanders-Baloise and Wagner Bazin will probably get a lot of WC for the belgian one day races and Total, Tudor, Tietma and Polti also have good to decent teams for many classics.